Year 2023 in Review

2023 has been a very trying year from literally Day 1. The year has been a rollercoaster. Between dealing with some cyberbullies and cyberattacks on New Year's Day and throughout the year, to the constant state of flux in the tech and game industry, this has been a year of peaks and valleys. 

We had LVLUPEXPO, Anime Gaming Expo in Fresno, So Cal Gaming Expo, and shared a booth for San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. Instead of hauling big computers, we began experimenting setting up a few Steam Decks attached to TVs instead. It works, our setup time was cut to a fraction, and we were able to save a lot of space hauling things. For any indie game developers that are reading this for some reason, invest in Steam Deck(s), a few Docks, and turn developer mode on. It makes demonstrations at shows a lot easier to set up and tear down. This setup we were able to polish and show it at PAX West in Seattle this year. I have to give Paul, Matt and Mizore credit for holding the fort down in Seattle this year, I was not in the right mental mindset for the show this year. I hope my next experience at PAX West will be better. (Through no fault of the show itself. PAX West was a fantastic show.)

We went to GDC, while the show wasn't too great (it really had its issues this year), we learned from our last trip in 2017 and made a point to go there with an agenda and the three of us were able to accomplish that goal. We were able to confirm that Spellbearers is coming to current consoles (Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation) because of the contacts we made at GDC. This has been a great achievement for the studio. I also have to give a special shoutout to my friend and game developer Larry Kuperman who was a big help in getting some initial conversations that led to these meetings.

Since 2019 or so I had a goal to visit the east coast and I was able to finally get that off my bucket list after several years of delays due to the pandemic. Our group of friends flew out to New York, we got yelled at on a train to Connecticut, we stayed in New Jersey and rode a ferry across the Hudson River, took the subway (against many people's suggestions), got to see a lot of NYC landmarks, got rained out in Philadelphia, and went through Delaware and Maryland on train to visit Washington DC. 

I lost my grandfather who was really like a second parent to me. I made every effort to see him on Sunday mornings whenever I was in Los Angeles and he would talk about his adventures and stories, and I would share any new adventures I went on and my successes and failures I was having. I got to meet an aunt for the first time and meet some cousins and a side of the family I never knew. My grandpa inspired me to go on adventures of my own, to make sure I know who my family is and where we came from. I'll remember those words.

Right before Thanksgiving, we released a giant patch for Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire on Steam that enables Cloud Saving and Steam Deck compatibility for the first time. It also includes the ton of changes we've been cooking to prepare for the full release. I sound like a broken record when I talk about when the game is going to be done, but I hope that this shows that we've put a significant amount of effort into polishing the game in preparation for the full release. We'll also be putting a patch for Advent sometime in January that addresses some glaring bugs that were found over the holiday season.

In 2024, I'd like to focus a bit more on myself. I've gotten a bit too comfortable with where I'm at and I feel I'm falling behind, even if I might not be. A friend mentioned that I have a "grind mindset", but I don't really know what I'm working towards. I spent a lot of 2023 fighting smaller battles and not enough time looking at the bigger picture. Spending more time trying to stay afloat, looking for immediate projects without getting the necessary skillsets to be able to get out of that situation entirely or fighting social media algorithms to try and get our games noticed without properly delegating it to someone or team that can handle it. It's a lack of self-fulfillment. Some in my circle have suggested settling down in one location, or finding a significant other and/or starting a family, or simply switching jobs and getting more money, but I don't believe any of these will solve the underlying problem.

I'm looking forward to taking some leaps and risks into the unknown. To learn that new game engine, to overcome anxiety and set up conversations with those publishers, to bring old projects to the finish line, to ask for help when it's needed, and consider new and alternative opportunities. To continue to travel to new places. Time to embrace the growth mindset. 

I'm glad to see 2023 come to a close. I don't know what trials 2024 will bring, it really is filled with question marks as of this blog entry, but I hope to find some personal fulfillment out of it. 

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